Ever get the feeling that your to-do list never actually ends? In the past, I’d try to plow through this overwhelming list by sheer force of will, only to hit the wall the moment a project felt too vague or complex. Instead of making progress, I’d find myself retreating to the comfort of the couch and Netflix, paralyzed by the next step. Now, I’ve found an AI wingman—a tool called Magic To-Do from Goblin Tools—to handle the mental heavy lifting for me.
Goblin Tools breaks down my nebulous to-dos into manageable, sequenced steps without me ever having to craft a perfect prompt. It’s also a great illustration of how AI can power small, effective apps, not just big, complex enterprise platforms and open-ended, general-purpose conversational chatbots.
Read on for the simple AI workflow I used to turn a daunting weekend project list into a series of small wins.
Goblin Tools is a different kind of AI-powered productivity tool because, unlike ChatGPT or similar chatbots, you don’t have to chat with it at all.
The Goblin Tools homescreen, showing the different free tools available. (Credit: Goblin Tools / Brian Westover)
Made by Belgian software and data engineer Bram De Buyser, Goblin Tools is a suite of simple, single-task planning tools—micro-utilities—made to help neurodivergent folks, specifically those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and related executive-functioning challenges. I’ve got mild ADHD myself, but I feel like his technology can work for pretty much anybody.
These tools are designed to simplify everything from estimating the time required for a task to sprucing up language for work emails to analyzing text for emotional subtext, and even planning meals based on the ingredients you have on hand. Each one has a specific focus, geared to help individuals handle what they may struggle with, and the whole thing is powered by AI.
But the experience isn’t anything like your ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini chatbot. Instead of conversing back and forth, you’ll get a clean text box and a single question to answer. The output is structured and concise (as a list or a recipe, for example), making it more consistent and reliable than a chatbot’s sometimes freeform responses.
You can use Goblin Tools for free or buy the app (Credit: Google / Goblin Tools / Brian Westover)
And I almost forgot the best part: Goblin Tools is free. No ads, no paywalls, and no upselling you on the most useful features. You can use it with or without signing up for an account, and if you want to support the maker, the Android and iOS app versions of Goblin Tools are a one-time purchase.
For my weekend project list, I turned to two tools: Compiler and Magic To-Do.
Compiler is a brain-dump tool. Type in everything you have on your plate, no organization needed, and it will turn that mess of notes into a clean list of tasks. From there, you can edit or reorder the results. It will also carry that task list over to Magic To-Do with the click of a mouse.
Magic To-Do is billed as a to-do list organizer that can “break things down so you don’t.” In simpler terms, you tell Magic To-Do an item on the list, and then it can expand that item into a sequenced list of subtasks. It’s not always right about the specific details or the sequencing of steps, but having that task breakdown available at the click of a button is a super-handy way to think those things through without manually writing or typing every step yourself.
However granular you need to be in your planning, Magic To-Do can handle it: Any individual subtask can be broken down further, and so on.
(Credit: Brian Westover)
My Lengthy Weekend Project List
One recent Saturday, I had a full day of home projects to attend to. I needed to organize and sweep my garage, pair a new remote to my garage door opener, and try to kill the weeds in my driveway. I also had to set aside some of the stuff to take to the dump and put out new mousetraps in my garage to keep our local rodent population at bay.
(Credit: Goblin Tools / Brian Westover)
So I started with the Compiler tool. I dropped that whole list of tasks into the text box and quickly got a list I could send to Magic To-Do. The list wasn’t perfect, but Magic To-Do offers simple editing tools and quick reordering of list items, and it gave me a good starting point.
(Credit: Goblin Tools / Brian Westover)
After some tweaking, I had my big list of weekend projects. Then came the magic aspect of Magic To-Do. There’s a magic wand button that generates a list of subtasks, in sequence, for any to-do item on the list.
For example, when I broke down the “set new mousetraps” task, it gave me a simple list of steps: gathering mousetraps, choosing trap locations, baiting the traps, and positioning them so they’re accessible to mice but not pets or children.
(Credit: Goblin Tools / Brian Westover)
But wait, how do you choose a trap location? Well, by pressing the magic wand button again, it broke down that specific subtask into smaller steps—looking for signs of mouse activity and checking corners and cluttered spots where a mouse could easily hide.
(Credit: Goblin Tools / Brian Westover)
I was able to do the same thing when figuring out the steps to pair my remote with the garage door opener. That auto-generated list of subtasks walked me through the pairing process. And the same for spraying the weeds in my driveway. The simple task was broken down into specific steps, such as getting the spray bottle and putting on gloves. Magic To-Do even provided notes on how much to spray to achieve the desired effect.
Now, none of this eliminated the work I actually had to do. Everything that got moved, I moved. AI didn’t spend any time with a broom in hand or perched on a ladder. Having a nice to-do list didn’t change the reality of sweeping up dirt or baiting mousetraps. But it did help me think through the overlapping tasks in my garage cleanup project. And it gave me a handy checklist of steps to follow, helping me stay on track and get it all done.
By offloading some of the mental load and breaking large tasks into manageable steps, I can keep my focus exactly where I want it: on getting my tasks done.
(Credit: Brian Westover)
At the end of the day, my garage wasn’t perfect. But it was organized. It was swept and straightened. And I had taken concrete steps to keep mice and weeds at bay. I ended the day satisfied, finally sitting down on the couch without the guilt of an unfinished list hanging over my head.
Need Help Getting Stuff Done? Ask a Goblin
Perhaps my favorite thing about Goblin Tools isn’t just that it’s useful, or that it’s free, or that it lets me focus on the actual work at hand without getting distracted in the planning. Instead, it’s the fact that it makes something as powerful as AI small, simple, and approachable.
Every tool in the Goblin Tools toolset is focused, with a clear function and a consistent output. There’s less worry about hallucinations, thanks to the strict format of each tool and a focus on process and organization rather than on generating factual data. No tangential discussions, no engagement-bait follow-up questions. I don’t need to treat it like a coworker or an intern. I don’t need to remember any specific prompting format or worry about reworking the same output over and over to get it just right. It keeps things simple.
And besides Compiler and Magic To-Do, Goblin Tools includes the following:
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Chef can help you meal-plan based on the ingredients you have, taking dietary issues, kitchen limitations, and serving sizes into account.
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Formalizer lets you rephrase your words, from casual to formal and back again.
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Professor helps you learn about practically anything by giving you simplified explanations of concepts and clear examples of that concept in action.
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Consultant helps you make decisions by weighing the pros and cons of a situation and offering advice.
None of these tools is as freeform or wide-ranging as an unfettered chatbot, even if the generative AI that powers them is the same. But when you’re staring down a chaotic weekend, you don’t need an existential conversation with a machine. Goblin Tools works because it treats AI like a well-made tool: simple, reliable, and perfectly designed for the task at hand.
About Our Expert
Brian Westover
Principal Writer, Hardware
Experience
From the laptops on your desk to satellites in space and AI that seems to be everywhere, I cover many topics at PCMag. I’ve covered PCs and technology products for over 15 years at PCMag and other publications, among them Tom’s Guide, Laptop Mag, and TWICE. As a hardware reviewer, I’ve handled dozens of MacBooks, 2-in-1 laptops, Chromebooks, and the latest AI PCs. As the resident Starlink expert, I’ve done years of hands-on testing with the satellite service. I also explore the most valuable ways to use the latest AI tools and features in our Try AI column.